GenGAME: Non-Linearity More Than Dungeon Order

One of the things that Eiji Aounuma has promised about the upcoming brand-new Zelda title for Wii U is that non-linearity will return to the forefront of the adventure. This announcement has been met with cheers from fans who have been craving a freer system than has been available in recent games. An article on GenGAME by Alex Plant discusses why this is necessary, and why non-linearity isn’t just about the order you beat the dungeons in.

I personally agree wholeheartedly. While I don’t mind a linear game, the original Legend of Zelda stands out to me as a game that was almost completely free from linear constraints. You don’t even have to get a sword right away! However, I think it’s important to note that forcing a path is as early in the series as The Adventure of Link, where each dungeon item has a use in the overworld that severely limits where you can go without it. A Link to the Past saw a return to form in non-linearity (among many other things), and the trend continued for a while until we began to see less linearity and more restrictive environments.